Coyote swap part 2

What engine, and why

With a clear direction for the car, I decided the first thing that needed to happen was buy an engine. As the centerpiece of the build, it just seemed like the thing to do. A build has a way of feeling more "real" if you have that shiny thing to look at when you are sweating away doing the less sexy parts, and the coyote made for a perfect "shiny thing".

The coyote engine comes in two variants: the F150 truck, and Mustang. As of this writing, Ford just released it's third generation of the engine: 11-14, 15-17, and the current 18-up. While there is also the Voodoo 5.2, and Boss engines, not many people are considering these for their budget swap. I zeroed in on the 11-14, more specifically the F150 truck engine as it is much more accessible as well as affordable.

So whats the difference? Internally there is not much at all. The intake cams are different from a Mustang, and compression is .5 lower. Externally, the timing cover is different, the plastic intake is black as opposed to silver, the trucks run an oil cooler, and the trucks use a cast iron manifold where the Mustang uses a shorty style tubular header. So why pay a premium for a harder to find Mustang engine? I couldn't see a reason.

A local F150 truck rebuilder ended up being my source. Jeremy Dover had bought three engines from them already, so it just made sense to pick mine up there as well. For just $2,000 I had a 2011 engine with 60K miles on the clock. If you caught the first videos on my YouTube channel, you will see that the first motor I bought ended up being junk. A fire melted the intake, and water found its way into the cylinder. Never fear, the engine was replaced, and now I had the first piece to the puzzle.

Buying an engine can be a scary ordeal. You really never know until she's in and fired. Most people don't have the luxury of hearing an engine run before its yanked out. This particular engine actually was still in the truck, and I got to hear it run before they had it pulled. That is always reassuring. I did a video last month on the channel discussing the best way not to get burned when buying a motor, it is linked below. While you never can be 100% sure, there are some wise moves to reduce your risks. Private sales especially can be risky, do your due diligence when inspecting it, and take a friend for a second pair of eyes.

With the coyote secured, now I had my work cut to for me. The engine is the easy part, it barely qualifies as getting started. My build is going to have a/c, p/s, hydroboost, etc and In order to do all that, there is a mountain of parts that need to be ordered. The engine would need to have a Mustang timing cover, all of the Power By the Hour engine brackets, a/c compressor, and p/s pump.

“Buying an engine private party can be a risky ordeal. While you can never be 100% sure you aren’t getting screwed, there are some things you can do to reduce your risk”

This is part two in a complete series, so check back often. Also make sure you are subscribed to the YouTube channel for five weekly updates. Stay tuned! CR